


The Lost Rebellion

by Wayward_Angel_07



Series: Defenders of Ziperion [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Angels, Demons, Dragons, Furries, Gore, Strong Language, cursing, gryphons, mythical creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:54:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wayward_Angel_07/pseuds/Wayward_Angel_07
Summary: In a world of dragons, magic and Gods, Arin Blackwing is looking to be a student at a prestigious academy for elementals. But when he and his best friends get dragged into something far more sinister as the Gods begin to wage war, Arin is forced to fight for his life alongside the King of Gods.
Series: Defenders of Ziperion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050941
Kudos: 6





	1. Prologue: The Panther & The Demon

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey hey! The Conclave here, this is our original series! I really hope everyone enjoys it, we've been working on it for years now.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loseph finds himself to be chased by a demon, for a treasure he has in his talons... And he knows something sinister is afoot.

It was dark, groggy and wet... Rain poured down, the droplets sliding down the leaves of trees in the forest— yet the moon shone brightly through an opening in the clouds. But it was not a peaceful night, no... A black-scaled odenja was running through the forest, his talons skipping across the muddied ground quickly as his wide eyes peered around. He held something in his arms, a silver rhombus-shaped object... It looked as if it was a crystal of some kind, and it reflected the light of the moon.

The running man growled under his breath when he saw a flash of pink in the trees.  
... He was running from someone called Razoyel, an archdemoness.  
The sound of rustling surrounded him, and soon the shape flashed down and attempted to pin down the being, but he skipped out of the way just in time.  
"SSSSHIT!" The she-demon hissed, her serrated claws digging into the dirt instead of the odenja's skin. With that, the odenja continued to run, and Razoyel bared her teeth in rage. "Come back here, SSSSSCUM!" She screeched, scurrying back up and bolting after him.

The odenja stayed silent and continued to sprint hastily, he was almost to his destination after all... A large door leading to an academy towered in the distance, and he was almost there!  
Soon, he made it, slamming the door behind him and quickly sealing the door. But it wouldn't last long...  
He sunk to the floor and sighed, catching his breath, not realizing the presence of a dark shape in the back of the cafeteria.  
"Loseph?" It called, green eyes shining from the darkness.  
_Oh, great._ The odenja thought, groaning. "Yes, sir?"  
"You look tired." A dragon stepped out of the shadows, whose wings were made of stars and whose claws were sharper than any knife.

Loseph sighed. "That is because I _am_ tired, sir." He shook his head.  
"Oh... You okay?" The dragon tilted its head.  
Loseph shook his head once more, more immensely. "No. Not at all. I hath just finished running from a demon."  
The purple reptilian smiled in amusement. "Huh? You do realize you can just knock it over like a domino... Right?" He laughed.  
"Yes... But I couldn't afford to." He held up his hands and showed the dragon the object.  
Suddenly, the color drained from the dragon's face. "Is that-"  
Loseph cut him off. "Yes."  
"Oh, archgoddess..." The purple reptile staggered back.

Loseph bobbed his head solemnly. "I know... I was just as surprised," He started. "You would not know anything about this, would you Kryon?"  
"Of course not! Telling a demon about the cores? That's fucking stupid." Kryon sputtered quickly.  
"I figured..." Loseph trailed off. "But sir, what do we do?"  
"Call your brother," Kryon ordered. "This is some serious shit—we can't let word get out to the other Gods..."  
"As you wish, sir." Loseph agreed, letting the words be drowned out by his thoughts near the end. He pressed his talons together and began to state a prayer, "Pinnis rubens rubet ignis ex intimis desideriis... Dic mihi egredietur regis fraude det mihi quod quaero. Frater, est aliquid fieri." Loseph spoke, then unclasping his talons.

Soon, mist swirled around the cafeteria, and a dark shape took form amongst them... Piercing amber eyes flashing in the darkness, staring back at them. A smirk formed across the mysterious figure's face as they stepped out of the darkness, a wingless form. "'Pinnis rubens'? How hilarious. Didn't know you had a sense of humor in you brother."  
Loseph groaned in annoyance. "You know damn well I wrote the prayer when we both still had our wings. That wasn't the point." He shook his head.  
"I know, I know. Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud about it though, brother! I'm here now. What did you need?" Cand laughed, crossing his arms.  
"The demons found out about the cores. What did you do?" Loseph hissed, getting up and into his face.  
"Woah, woah, relax for a second. They _what_?" Cand waved his arms in front of him.

"You... Doth not know?" Loseph appeared confused, and then worried. "Then how..." He shook his head. "There must be a demon spy somewhere. They could be watching right— Oh dear."  
"What?" Kryon asked.  
"I, erm..." Loseph started, but he was interrupted by the door busting open, and the enraged Razoyel growling at them— her eyes were glazed with hate and malice.  
"Bollocks." Loseph sighed.  
"I told you I would find you, ssssscum." She hissed.  
"Seriously? What's up with the hissing, woman?" Cand shook his head. "Quite rude isn't it, to speak to your God that way."  
"Quiet, trickssssster!" Razoyel roared.

"Damn." Cand looked somewhat hurt by this.  
"Enough of thisssss!" Razoyel roared, tackling Kryon to the ground. He threw her off by sweeping her ankle with his tail and slicing her face with his wing, causing her to hiss in pain. Loseph threw a bolt of energy at her straight in the face, while Cand started chanting a latin exorcism.  
Suddenly, the she-demon was enveloped in light and was dragged out of the academy by hands of shadow. Razoyel screamed.

"Well, then." Kryon said. "That was fun! Let's do it again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this one's a bit short, it's pretty old and is being ported from another site.


	2. Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin wakes up on time for once, because how could anyone miss a ceremony that happens once every 200 years?

It was a beautiful sunny day in the valley, after the rain from the previous night had washed away the silence that overtook it. It was a day of cheer, a day of happiness— there was a festival. Once every five years, a ceremony would take place which would allow for the nearby academy to select its new students and their counselors— elite forces members— to guide them. Inside this academy, there were several other divisions... Metas, Explorers, Intels, Healers, Leaders, and Warriors.

Intelligence, the group of espionage and gathering information. This group is for the silent and deadly, those that can move without being detected in both the social world and an in combat.  
Metaphysics, the ones that work with psionic power. They're powerful, but their craft is the least respected among the academy.  
Explorers, the ones who pride themselves on exploring the unknowns of the world.  
Warriors, the fighters and protectors of Fisiopia.  
Healers, the beloved life-savers of wounded people everywhere.  
Leaders, those that guide those below them to greatness.  
And last but not least... The Elite Forces. These are the veteran members chosen every 200 years during an eclipse. They command the upmost respect.

Arin loved to think about these things, especially when he woke up.  
This was the day that the purple odenja would know if he was accepted into the academy as a new student. He and his best friend, a wolenai named Balthizar, had applied for the academy. The chances of them getting in were slim, but entirely possible. They both had tried incredibly hard to get in with their schooling, Arin liked to believe his grades were flawless apart from the single D-minus he procured in one of his math classes.  
Damned Miss Sheryl and her algebraic expressions. Arin swore on his life, if she screwed his chances of getting into DOFTA he'd kill the bitch.  
...  
Okay, maybe not. But still.

Arin slid out of cerulean-colored bed and rubbed his eyes, his tail twitching as light poured in through his window. He tiredly padded to the kitchen to see his brother Nigel doing the dishes, and his little sister Abaddon eating eggs at the dining table. Arin smiled. "Hey guys," He tilted his head upwards.  
"Hey Arin! You're up early— And by that I mean on time." Nigel teased.  
"H-Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Arin stuttered.  
Nigel smiled. "Exactly what I said," Arin pouted in response, but Nigel continued, "anyways, you still wanna go to the festival right?"  
"Are you kidding me? Of course I do!" Arin scoffed. "What kind of question was that?"  
"Calm down, I was just making sure. I just have to finish doing the dishes and let Abaddon finish eating before we go. Why don't you go find Balthizar?" The red odenja suggested.  
"A'ight, where is he?" Arin inquired, twiddling his talons.  
"He was outside by the windmill last I saw him, I think." Nigel recalled. The draconid rubbed the fur on his chin in thought.

"Thanks Nigel!" The smaller odenja performed a salute and dashed out the door.  
With that, his world opened up vastly... In the distance were mountains, towering high above the clouds. And ahead of him, a path that would lead him farther than he could dream. Upon that path and to the side stood a windmill, with a lone yellow creature sitting beside it. He was reading, sighing. Waiting.  
"Balthizar!" Arin shouted, startling the being.  
"Huh?" The yellow creature blinked. "O-OH! You're awake! That's a lot earlier than I expected..."  
"Jeez, why does everybody keep saying that..." Arin murmured. "You know I wouldn't miss this for the world."  
"Where's Nigel and Abaddon?" Balthizar tilted his head. "They ARE coming, right?"  
"Yeah, they are-" Arin cleared his throat. "Nigel just has to finish doing the dishes."  
"Makes sense." Balthizar nodded. "A-Anyways, I suppose we should make due with this time? What division did you want to be in anyways?"  
"What division... I... I actually have no idea. I've been sort of conflicted recently," Arin explained, absentmindedly caressing the fur on his head.

"Really? The famed Arin Blackwing," He used a 'strong superhero' voice when referring to his name, "Doesn't know what division he'd be placed in?" Balthizar teased.  
"Oi, stop it. It's not funny." Arin frowned.  
Balthizar looked worried. "You okay?"  
"Yeah, it's just, I'm worried. What if I don't get in? That D I got in algebra's gonna kill me." Arin shook his head.  
"Don't worry about Miss Sheryl, Arin. Always remember, D's get degrees!" Balthizar tried to smile, but it looked inherently fake.  
"I'm pretty sure that's not how it goes." Arin pointed out. "Either way, I bet YOU'LL get in, Mr. Intelligence Division."  
"Well, that's a hard MAYBE." Balthizar scoffed.  
As they continued to talk, Nigel and Abaddon exited the cottage they called home and made their way towards the two best friends. Nigel was carrying a large duffel bag.  
"Hey, fledgelings!" Nigel shouted, waving his arms about. "We're ready to go!"  
"Huh?" Arin glanced at them. "Cool! Let's go then!"  
"Oi, first I gotta show you what we brought." Nigel opened up the bag. "Towels, bags of marshmallows, a few metal sticks to roast them on... And bubbles for Abaddon."

"Oooh!" Arin smiled. "I forgot there was gonna be bonfires."  
"Haha, well... Only one way to find out, let's get going!" Nigel laughed, picking up Abaddon and placing her on his shoulders. "Just follow me, I know where Queenshard is." He gestured to the pathway ahead, which led to a tunnel inside a mountain. The entrance was encrusted with various purple gemstones. Soon, the group walked through the tunnel-- the insides were dark and damp, the only light coming from torches lining the internals.

It seemed like forever, until they finally reached the other side-- the valley of Sugar Creek, with Queenshard towering in the distance. The area was bustling with dragons and odenja, some weaving baskets on the ground near the tunnel. Others were doing rituals near the tall volcano, and flying overhead... Banners were everywhere across the marketplace, as the golden city sparkled in the sunlight. The eclipse was nearly reaching totality, yet the sun still shone brightly along the horizon. Lanterns were also being set up on the ground near the market, they were all green with a twinge of gold. Bonfires were lit, and posters were set up everywhere. The shopkeepers were shouting advertisements, fledglings were playing in the glistening pools... Fountains with statues of dragons were standing there beautifully, as in the center of the town was a statue of the Gods of Chaos and Order, swirling around each other in a dance.

It truly was a city of life and energy...

As the group stared in awe whilst making their way through town, some of the Gods were seen moving onto pedestals on a stage... Arin nudged Nigel, pointing to the group clustered along there. There stood a sign which read, 'DOFTA Announcements'. Nigel's eyes widened, and he moved towards the stage with the others trailing behind him. This stage stood in front of the statues of the Gods of chaos and order... The three gods which stood upon the pedestals were the big three. Fyrion (The God of Chaos), Gavaseer (The God of Destruction), and the King of the Gods himself, Kryon.

The group seated themselves near the area, with the Queenshard Palace towering behind them. There was a bonfire to their left, and of course the Gods and their pedestals in front of them. Soon enough, once enough people had gathered, it had become exponentially darker than before due to the eclipse.  
"When do you think it's gonna start?" Balthizar asked Nigel, who shrugged.  
"No clue, probably in a few minutes by the looks of it..." He explained questioningly.  
"This'll be SO badass." Arin pumped his fist into the air.  
Nigel covered Abaddon's ears as she was eating a marshmallow. "LANGUAGE."  
"Oh... Sorry bro, hahaha..." Arin rubbed the back of his neck, to be interrupted by Kryon clearing his throat to addressing the valley and Queenshard residents.  
"Here ye, here ye-- or some shit, I don't know." Kryon spoke loudly. Nigel facepalmed as the God cursed loudly enough for Abaddon to hear.  
"Bwudder, he said a cuss word!" Abaddon stared in shock.  
"I know, hush though kid." Nigel patted her on the head.

"Could you be any less enthusiastic, Kryon?" Fyrion rolled his eyes. "Anyways.. Greetings, people of Queenshard!" He addressed the crowd, and it fell silent. "Even though I doubt I need to tell you why you are here today, I'll explain regardless; today is the recruitment ceremony for the Defenders of Fisiopia Training Academy! Also known as DOFTA. As you also know, this is the first Elite Forces Ceremony in 200 years!" The crowd cheered. When it died down, however, Fyrion looked to Kryon again. "Shall I get started with the naming, then...?" He asked. The dragon beside him dipped his head as if to say 'go ahead'. "Alright, then..."

"The names of the chosen new recruits are as follows..." Fyrion cleared his throat. "Crane Flameblood! Anubis Earthbound! Seth Thistlewind! Balthizar Jifiliam!"  
With each name called, groups of people cheered and congratulated their beloved recruits; on Balthizar's name, Arin and the others grinned and cheered as well. Balthizar blushed, embarrassed. But soon, Fyrion continued.  
"Bellae Notail! Glory Venomtongue! Azythara Witherblaze! Jade Notail! Nectarine and Grape Oxyhedron! Ouroboros Timewing! Jay Flickerheart! And last but not least..." Fyrion squinted at smudged handwriting on his wrist. Arin and the others held their breaths. "Arin... Balckwing? Yeah, I think that's right."

_BALCKWING? Are you shitting me?_ Arin thought.  
Nigel frantically shook his head. "Don't do it, Arin..."  
It was too late. "It's Blackwing, sir!" Arin shouted, getting the God's attention. The crowd stared in shock and horror as Kryon burst out laughing.  
"Oooooooh, spicy!" The Godking joked, before getting smacked upside the head by Gavaseer.  
"Er, my apologies new student." Fyrion laughed nervously. "Ahem... Er, anyways... Elite forces members! The names are as follows..." He looked at a piece of paper. "Doza Petalwing of the Healers Division! Davish Mightyclaws of the Meta Division! Shabina Whitewing of the Intelligence Division! And lastly, my desciple-- Mercedes Darkan of the Explorer's Division!"

"Now, new recruits and elite forces members... You are to meet at Sugar Creek Valley tomorrow at 12 PM sharp!" Gavaseer shouted, in addition to all that was going on. "This is where new recruits will be assigned to their division by means of four trials, the fourth deciding which group you will be placed in! Elite forces will be given jobs in ensuring the safety of the new recruits."  
"You know, to make sure they don't fuck up or die or anything." Kryon added, nodding.  
"Anyways, good day to you all... And let the festival begin!" Fyrion finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This chapter is still being ported from the other site, so expect a massive jump in quality after this. As... Well, this is a bit old.


	3. Mercedes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the festival begins, Arin and Balthizar come into contact with an elite forces member and get a sneak peek at their future.

After the ceremony, everyone was celebrating. Food, drinks, fireworks- even large green and gold lanterns were being prepared to be launched in the air. Arin was admiring the fireworks as people whispered about him nearby, but he didn't seem to notice them. Balthizar sighed happily, looking at Arin before opening his mouth to speak.  
"This is amazing..." Balthizar mused.  
Arin absentmindedly smiled. "Honestly? This isn't what I'm looking forward to." Arin started. "I'm ready for tomorrow."  
"Yeah, that's fair; We should ask Nigel how long we're gonna be here... Right?" Balthizar nodded.  
"Yeah." Arin responded, turning to Nigel who was some distance away. He got up and padded towards him, tapping on his shoulder gently. "Hey, Nigel, how long are we gonna be here?"

"Huh...? Oh, we're gonna try to be here long enough to see the lanterns. It's up to Abaddon to decide how long we're here afterwards." Nigel explained. Arin and Nigel both glanced at Abaddon, who was staring at the fireworks in complete wonder. "... I think you have time." Nigel smiled. "Why don't you and Balthizar go wander around? I'm sure there's stuff to do here." He hesitated. "Don't bother the Gods again though! You're lucky you didn't anger Fyrion..."  
"Yeah, yeah! Don't worry about it!" Arin saluted, before walking back over to Balthizar, who was apparently eavesdropping.  
"So... What are we going to do to pass the time? Listen to the bards? Pay respect to the Archgoddess?" Balthizar tapped his foot repeatedly.  
"Well, first... We're going to talk to Fyrion and Gavaseer! They're still on the stage." Arin grinned mischievously. _"Then_ we'll pay our respects to the Archgoddess."

"D-Did you not hear what Nigel just said?! Oh, for the love of..." Balthizar turned away, pinching the bridge of his snout.  
"I know, I know. But they're not _unjust_ Gods. You don't really think that they'd strike me down, do you?" Arin snickered.  
"W-What?! No! No, the Gods are great. I just don't want you to anger them... F-Fine, I'll go with you." Balthizar frowned, sputtering.  
"Great! Just follow me." The purple Odenja beamed, beginning to walk away from Balthizar already. Balthizar sighed and followed after him.

Though, as Arin approached the stage, some random individuals stared at him with spite... He felt himself growing embarrassed under their gaze... Especially when one of them walked up to him.  
"Hey! Next time, keep your mouth shut you blithering idiot! Somebody ought to teach you respect..." The stranger hissed, and Arin shrunk back slightly.  
Someone else stepped in at this moment, though, a dark grey Wyvern with lighter grey stripes, dark red dots on his wrists, and horns curled like a ram's. "Hey, what are you on about? You're speaking to a student of the academy. Bite your tongue."  
"And who might _you_ be? Mind your own goddamned business, worm." The ill-tempered stranger growled.  
"My _name_ is Mercedes." The Wyvern stated plainly, crossing his wings.  
The stranger's eyes widened with fear. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know..." They squeaked.

"'Didn't know'? You should treat _everyone_ with respect. You shouldn't be apologizing to me, you should be apologizing to the kid. What kind of asshole does that anyways? Harassing a kid..." Mercedes grumbled. The stranger slunk back into the crowd with a look of shame, and Mercedes smiled at Arin.  
"H-Hey, uh... It's okay! Really! You didn't have to defend me like that..." Arin sputtered, shocked out of his mind that a new Elite Forces member just defended him.  
"No, it's everyone's job to be a good samaratin. Besides... You had the bravery to correct a God, you have a lot of guts for your age." Mercedes nodded thoughtfully.  
"R-Really?" Arin's eyes sparkled. "T-Thank you, I... I don't really know what to say." Arin felt his cheeks heating up from embarrassment. "I've just, always looked up to Elite Forces members. You're just so _cool!"_ Arin chuckled nervously.

Mercedes laughed along with him. "No wonder you applied! You wanna be like your heroes, don't you? A bit of advice, though; you'll want to be your own hero from here on out. Believe it or not, we're not as perfect as we seem." He explained. "One guy before me? Total asswipe if you ask me. Long gone by now, though... But hey! I'm looking forward to seeing you guys at noon. I'll see you then." Mercedes waved, and Arin waved back as the Wyvern walked away. With that, Arin and Balthizar approached Fyrion.  
"Oh, hello! It's you." Fyrion grinned a rather creepy grin that seemed to make Balthizar shudder, but Arin was unfazed. "My apologies for pronouncing your name wrong, and for the hostility of that... Rather rude civilian. I'm glad my prized student stepped in, if I had done so myself they might've had a heart attack." Fyrion pressed a talon to his temple thoughtfully.  
Arin and Balthizar's eyes widened with shock. "You're... Apologizing?" Balthizar asked.  
"Well, of course I am, that's what a good person does when they accidentally mispronounced someone's name in front of the entire realm." Fyrion joked.

"I-I mean, I guess; but really, no offense taken dude..." Arin sputtered, completely shocked.  
"Did you just call him 'dude'?" Balthizar gave Arin a strange look, and Arin nudged him.  
"I do not mind, actually. And you, young Wolenai, are...?" Fyrion tilted his head.  
Balthizar shuddered. "B-Balthizar Jifiliam, sir."  
"Another recruit? My, you sure seem to get around Blackwing." Fyrion chuckled.  
"What do you mean?" Arin asked, genuinely curious.  
"Oh, I saw you talking to my star student earlier, so I simply assumed you met them both during the ceremony." The black Wyvern explained.

"Uh, n-no sir, Arin and I grew up together." Balthizar mentioned.  
"Hm, that's something to keep in mind then, you may end up in a group together. Though, I should warn you: groups are assigned in threes." Fyrion grinned another creepy grin.  
"Groups of three?" Arin scratched the back of his head. "I don't think that was on the pamphlet..."  
"Oh! It wasn't, I assure you. Students are briefed on most of the information after being accepted into the academy. Speaking of which, though, I should mention this as well..." Fyrion cleared his throat. "Each group will have an elite forces member assigned to them to teach them things. I have already considered Mercedes for whatever group you will be in, but that will be further explored during the meeting." He continued. "... And of course, the trials. That said, there's two extra students this year, two last-minute additions. One of them was you."  
"What?" Arin pointed to himself. "Me?" Fyrion opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by Gavaseer.  
"Fyrion! Shouldn't you be saving this information for tomorrow's gathering, hmmmmn?" Gavaseer scolded.  
"Er... I suppose so." Fyrion laughed nervously, before looking at Arin thoughtfully. "I'm sorry. I'll explain everything tomorrow."

"That's fine, sir." Arin dipped his head. "We'll see you tomorrow!" He beamed. Gavaseer was looking right at him, though.  
"I'll be keeping an eye on you, fledgling." Gavaseer spoke. "Now, run along. Go do whatever children do, besides bothering your elders..."  
"A-Alright, then." Arin squeaked a bit, for the first time genuinely intimidated by one of the Gods. He slunk away, dragging Balthizar along with him towards the altar in the center of the town.


End file.
